Explosive.



v oa ers.

if'rnn smarts PATENT oF FREDERIC LEWIS NATHAN, WILLIAM RINTOUL, AND FRANK BAKER, OF STE lTENSTON, SCOTLAND, ASSIGNORS TO E.,I. DU PON'I DE NEMOURS POVIDER COMPANY, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

EXPLOSIVE.

No Drawing.

tures, with the result that these substances,

and mixtures containing one or more of them, are liable to deteriorate when kept for considerable periods.

The products of the decomposition referred to, if allowed to remain in contact with the unchanged esters, exert an accelerating effect on the decomposition. Especially is this the case with explosives containing one or more members of the above mentioned class of chemicalcompounds, and such explosives are liable to become not merely unservi'ceable but dangerous. lit is therefore essential, in order to obtain explosive of good chemical stability, that, be-

, sides being prepared from thoroughly stabilized materials, it shall have added to it some substances which will have the effect of removing from it or rendering innocuous these products of decomposition.

It is already known that Vaseline ormineral jelly exerts a stabilizing action on explosive into which it is introduced.v It, however, possesses certain disadvantages which limit the stabilizing effects produced by it.

For instance, it, is an exceedingly complex substance, some of the components of it 'being very much less active in their stabilizing properties than others, It is, however, entirely insoluble 'in nitroglycerin. These properties tend to produce a-want of homo-* geneity in the explosive and ultimately to.

. I limit the stabilizing effect of this substance.

Again phenanthrene and diphenylamin.

have been proposed as stabilizing agents. These apparently possess the property of combining with the decomposition products of the nitric ester to form a nitro-compouhd Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 1W, 191%.

Application filed June 4, 1913. Serial No. 771,622.

and one which possesses no accelerating action on the inherent rate of decomposition of the ester. Although benzine, for instance, can be nitrated, it would be of little use\as a stabilizer in explosives, not only because of its volatility but also because of the slowness and difficulty with which its nitration is broughtabout. It is therefore evident that all substances which will nitrate are not nec-' essarily stabilizers in the sense that they will materially prolong the life of explosive mixtures into which they are introduced.

lVe have found that in order that a substance may be an effective stabilizer, not only must it be capable of easy nitration with formation of a substance or of substances possessing no accelerating effect on the inherent rate of decomposition butmoreover it must be capable of being homogeneously retained within the explosive in quantity suflicient to efie'ct stabilization.

Separation of the stabilizer or its product of nitration from the powder when the latter is dried or afterward during storage, leads to alterations in the composition and ballistic properties of the explosive, and is there fore very undesirable. The stabilizer should for instance be soluble in nitroglycerin to such an extent that it will not separate out in this way. In cordite for example, containing 30 parts of nitroglycerin and 5 parts of stabilizer, when it is desired to replace the mineral jelly which is the present stabilizer with one which'would be homogeneously retained in solution in the nitroglycerin present, it would be necessary to select a stabilizer which would remain 1n solution in the nitroglycerin to the extent of at least Now :we have further ascertained that there exist a large number of substances which are capable of fulfilling the require merits indicated. These substances arecompounds which have aromatic radicals-readily undergoing nitration and which while producing stable compounds with the decomposition products of the nitricester, are, moreever, homogeneously retained: by nitric ester explosives in sufiicient quantity'to give efli eient stabilization. Examples 'of these substancesare chemical compounds of the class known as-ethers, or compounds of the constitution R OR' of which'one or both of the radicals R or R is. an aromatic radic al, such as phenyl,- benzyl, na phthyl,

phenanthryl, etc., or a homologue of them. This invention consists therefore broadly in effecting stabilization of propellant explosives formed of or containing a nitric ester such as nitroglycerin or nitrocellulose by including therein one or more substances of the kind indicatedin suitable qu n y- The following are examples of one class of the compounds referred to :-diphenylether C; H O,phenyl-benzyl-ether G H O, ethyl-naphthyl-ether C H O, and phenanthryl-methyl-ether 015E129.

In judging which substance or substances is or are the most suitable for use in an particular case, we are guided by the prop erties of the individual compounds such as volatility, solubility in nitroglycerin, and the readiness with which they. become nitrated. As these substances are introduced into explosives with the view of absorbing the products of decomposition by becoming nitiated, their higher nitro-derivatives are unsuitable for this purpose because ofthe increasing difliculty with which nitration occurs as the degree of nitration rises.

As an example of the use, according to our present invention of one-of the above class of compounds, an explosive of'the following composition may becited The proportion of the stabilizer to'be used according to our present invention may be varied, according to the nature and proportions of the other components of the mixture in which it is used. c

\We are aware that similar compounds have been used in connection with pyroxylin which we do not claim herein.

We claim 5+ 1. An explosive containing atleast one highly nitrated nitric ester and an ether containing an aryl group containing only carbon and hydrogen. v

2. An explosive containing nitroglycerin, nitrocellulose and 'an ether containing an aryl group containing only carbon and hydrogen.-

explosive containing nitroglycerin,

nitrocellulose and ethyl 6 naphthyl ether.

4. An explosive containinggelatinized together at least one highly. nltrated nitric ester and an ether containing an aryl group containing only carbon and hydrogen.'

5; An explosive containing gelatinizedtogether nitroglycerin, nitrocellulose and an ether containing an aryl group containing only carbon and hydrogen.

6. An explosive containing gelatinized together nitroglycerin, nitrocellulose and ethyl 6 naphthyl ether.

In testimony that we claim .the foregoing we have hereunto set our hands.

FREDERIC LEWIS NATHAN. WILLIAM RINTOUL. FRANK BAKER.

Witnesses:

M. B. MILNE, ERNEST HANSFORD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addre uing the "Commissioner of Patents. Wauhington, D. 0." i 

